


Remains of the day

by trinipedia



Category: Supernatural RPF
Genre: Alternate Universe, Challenge Response, Corpse Bride, Fanfiction, M/M, rotd, tim burton - Freeform
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2009-06-25
Updated: 2009-07-29
Packaged: 2018-09-14 18:03:14
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 7
Words: 15,230
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9197318
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/trinipedia/pseuds/trinipedia
Summary: Jared Padalecki's parents decided they want him to marry the only daughter of a noble family with no money. The only problem is, he can't remember his wedding vows. Sent away to practice, Jared finds himself wandering in the woods but when he finally gets them right, he is whisked away to the Land of the Dead by a corpse claiming to be his rightful husband. The corpse has already won Jared's hand, winning his heart is the real battle.





	1. Chapter One

**Author's Note:**

> **Disclaimer:** not mine in any way, shape or form. Based on Tim Burton's movie Corpse Bride.  
>  **Artist Name:** [ burned_phoenix ](http://burned-phoenix.livejournal.com/)  
> **Beta:** [ blueeyedliz ](http://blueeyedliz.livejournal.com/)  
> 

   

 

"I want my mom!"

"Me too!"

"I'm scared!"

"Where's my teddy bear?"

The kids keep sobbing and hiccupping and after she has tried to calm them with every single piece of candy in her kitchen, Danneel gives up and goes looking for Chad.

She finds him at the bar, chitchatting with the captain. "Chad, move your bony ass and come give me a hand; the new arrivals won't stop shrieking," she says.

Chad knows better than to contradict her, so he offers an apologetic smile to the captain, drowns down what's left of his beer and follows her to the kids' room.

The situation is bad, but not desperate: the kids are still weeping, though.

Chad stomps in the room, glares at them and shouts " _SILENCE! I KEEL YOU!_ "

For an instant the room is stunned into silence, then the kids start wailing all together.

Danneel's eyebrows disappear into her hairline and Chad chokes, embarrassed. "Last time it worked," he objects.

"Last time they were _teenagers!_ " Danneel hisses.

"Do _something_ , goddammit. They're kids, just...tell them a bedtime story!" Chad beams, and Danneel groans.

"It must really be _that_ one? _Again_?!"

Chad nods vigorously and rubs his hands together. "Come on, guys, settle down!" He exclaims. "I know that you might be a little scared and nervous, but I promise you everything will be ok. Now, who wants to hear a really nice story?"

The kids look at each other, than sheepishly lift their hands.

"Great!" Chad is clearly pleased. "It's the story of a young man quite stupid and naïve-ouch!" He massages the spot Danneel's elbow just hit.  
"As I was saying, this young man's name was Jared Padalecki: he was a dreamer, the only son of a wealthy family with no noble title. One day, his parents decided they wanted him to marry the only daughter of a noble family with no money..."

 

 

_UPSTAIRS_

Jared opened his window and breathed in the crisp morning air.He would have loved to be able to go out and run, until his lungs burned with exertion but his parents wouldn't approve of such vulgar physical activity.

His parents wouldn't approve of anything he liked, actually.

Jared sighed, setting the wooden cage down on the windowsill. The little robin kept inside chirped, bouncing excitedly up and down.

"Today is the day I set you free." Jared told him, with a sad smile.

It was also the day he was going to be caged. He opened the little door, and the bird got closer to the now empty part of its cage; its chirping became doubtful.

"Go, now!" Jared shook the cage a little. "Your wing is cured and if you stay you'll become tame, then it will be impossible for you to go back into the wild."

Besides, he was not allowed to keep the bird anyway.

As though it finally understood what its master expected from him, the robin slowly scampered out of the cage.

He chirped some more, as if he was grateful, before experimentally moving its wings and finally flying away.

Jared stared at the bird until it was just a dot on the horizon, then he closed the window, just as his mother's voice started calling for him.

 

 

The young man was walking around the town, watching with barely hidden disgust as the people performed their own daily tasks. There was a fisherman, cutting away heads and tails from the fish he was going to be selling at the market in a few hours. The old shopkeeper, sweeping the sidewalk and the squealer, who was walking up and down the square and suddenly started ringing his bell.

_Here ye, here ye, ten minutes to go till the McCoy/Padalecki wedding rehearsal!_

The fisherman, who had quite a bad cough, stopped cutting, cleaned his hands on a dirty rag and jumped on a carriage, riding away.

Looking closely at the side of the carriage, the young man saw the Padalecki logo on it.

The fisherman had probably gone to pick up the family for the rehearsal.

The man's smirk widened.

Only good things come from weddings, he’d had more than one occasion to prove that theory.

He straightened up his tie, smoothened out his jacket and followed the carriage.

 

 

"What a marvellous day for a wedding." Jared's mother said, once they had gotten in the carriage and it had started moving.

"I agree, couldn't be better," his father added.

Jared sighed. "I guess."

"But Jared, this is just the rehearsal! If we want things to end as they should, we have to be sure that everything goes well. So walk straight, comb that hair and for God's sake, _smile_ , would you? I gave you dimples for a reason."

Jared just nodded, tuning her mother out after a few seconds and let her smooth, comb, pinch him as she wanted.

He was deeply nervous and his mother was _not_ helping.

"You hooked a winner this time, Jared," his father said, trying to make him feel a little more at ease.

"Sure." Jared answered, rolling his eyes.

"Dad, why is Sandy McCoy marrying me?" He asked immediately after. "I mean, she's a noble! Shouldn't she m-m-marry a lord, or something?"

His father smiled. "We are as good as they are, son. Blue blood doesn't make them better than us."

"Oh, I know that, but-I haven't even _spoken_ to her!"

"At least we have that in our favor." Jared's mother muttered and his father glared at her.

The carriage stopped, while the fisherman who drove it kept coughing.  
"Dammit, Steve, cut it out!" Jared's mother shouted, poking the top of the carriage with her umbrella.

Jared's shoulders sagged, as they got down from the carriage and climbed the few stairs to the McCoy's entrance door.

"Look at the way you're standing!" his mother hissed while ringing the doorbell "It's like you got rickets or something..." 

 

 

 Lady McCoy looked out the window and sighed. "Why is the sun shining on this ominous day?"

Lord McCoy got closer to her. "Now, don't be that way, dear. You know we wouldn't do it if we weren't forced to."

The woman looked flabbergasted. "They are _merchants_ , darling! It's so vulgar!"

"Would you prefer not to go on with the wedding and have to sell the house because we can't pay the mortgage, then?" He asked, ironically.

The woman gasped. "How did we end up like this?" She wondered, hiccupping a little.

Lord McCoy held her shoulder with an arm. "Now, now, let's not be melodramatic. Nothing's gonna change for us; we'll keep our status, our title and our house."

The couple started walking down the hall. "Who would have thought that Sandra would have come in handy eventually?" The woman said. "I mean, we were basically forced to take her in after my stupid brother died in that stupid hospital..." She shook her head violently. "He had it coming! No one in his right mind would spend so much time with sick patients and expect not to be infected! He was a doctor, he should have known better."

Her husband didn't even try to interrupt her. When she started rambling about her brother, his death and the weight he left on them, there was no way to stop her.

"Anyway" She stated at the end while they got down the stairs to meet their guests, "with that mouse-like face she's lucky to have an arranged marriage, or she would have died a spinster."

 

 

 

Sandy was sitting in her room while the maid, Samantha, helped dressing her up for her first meeting with her husband to be.

"Sam, what if Jared and I don't like each other?" She asked, biting her lower lip nervously.

"Ah! As if that has anything to do with marriage" Sam answered, a bitter edge in her voice. "Not in _your_ world, at least. Do you really think your uncle and your aunt like each other?"

Sandy blinked. "They must! A little?"

Sam shook her head. "No, pumpkin. They don't. They have been raised to think that marriage is a partnership and that's what they want everyone to think."

Sandy sighed, staring at her hands. "Well, I don't."

Sam kissed her forehead and smiled at her. "Everything will be fine. You'll see. Now let me lace this corset properly, or you won't be able to talk without gasping."

 

  

Once the two pairs of parents met, they moved to the west wing to take tea. Jared was right behind them, when he saw a piano standing to one side of the room. There was a thin layer of dust on the keys, which showed that no one had been playing for a long time, and Jared couldn't resist.

He sat down and let his fingers roam freely on the keys. As it happened every time that he got the chance to do something he loved, he became completely lost in playing; suddenly, a hand touched his shoulder, and he squeaked, jumping up from the stool so fast it fell on the floor.

In front of him there was a tiny brunette, wearing a long grey dress.  
Her hair was tightly tied on the top of her head, and her eyes were warm and friendly. "Sorry, I didn't mean to scare you," she said, "You play beautifully."

Jared cleared his throat. "I'm the one who's sorry, miss McCoy. It was very rude of me to-well-"

Sandy stepped closer. "Sandy, please." She lightly caressed the wooden instrument. "My aunt doesn't let me anywhere near the piano. _Music is improper for a young lady, too passionate_ , she says. I always wanted to learn how to play, though, it was my father's."

Jared's eyes widened. _Aunt?_

Sandy's eyes turned sad. "Yeah, Lord and Lady McCoy are my aunt and uncle. My father was a doctor and he got infected with the same disease he was trying to find a cure for. I'm proud of him, I never blamed him for anything. My aunt and uncle never really wanted me, but the family thought they were the most fitting, being the richest and the only ones with no kids. I never lacked anything, except love. They’ve never loved me."

Jared felt the compelling urge to hug Sandy and shield her from the world. She had already seen enough and still she was sweet and caring.  
She was the kind of person he could eventually fall in love with. Maybe this arranged marriage was not a completely bad idea, after all.

"You know, Jared, since I was a little girl I've been dreaming of my wedding day. I always imagined my father, tall and proud, walking me down the aisle and handing me over to the man I'd chosen, the only one who I'd love enough to want to leave my father's side." Sandy sat on the piano stool, then she looked back at Jared with a little smile. "Then my father died so that part of the dream was shattered but I kept thinking I'd find someone to fall deeply in love with, someone I'd want to spend the rest of my life with." She clenched her hands tightly in her lap.  
"Now it all sounds so silly."

Jared shook his head and sat down next to her. "It's not silly, Sandy. Not even a little bit."

Sandy sniffed. "Listen, Jared. I just wanted to tell you how grateful I am to you for doing this. I really can't stand this family anymore, and I can't wait to be free from them...besides," her cheeks turned pink, "You'll be the first person who willingly _chose_ me. I can't explain how much that means to me."

Jared smiled and nodded. "I'm the grateful one," he answered. "I think we're going to be happy."

Sandy grabbed a sprig of jasmine from the small vase standing on the piano and offered it to Jared. "I think so too."

Just as Jared was reaching to take the sprig, hurried steps were heard and Sandy's aunt appeared, looming on them from the living room's entrance. "What _impropriety_ is _this?!_ " She shrieked. "You shouldn't be alone _together_!" She glared at Sandy, then turned her cool stare on Jared. "Whatever. Father Kripke is already here, so come along and let's do this, before I change my mind."

 

 

_Three hours later_

"Padalecki, come on! From the beginning, **again**. _With this hand I will lift your sorrows. Your cup will never empty, for I will be your wine. With this candle, I will light your way in darkness. With this ring, I ask you to be mine._ Is it clear?!" The priest glared at Jared, who swallowed noisily and nodded.

"Wedding vows, take 15, and- _action_!"

Jared cleared his throat. "With this candle..." he fidgeted and the flame extinguished. He lit it up once more. "-this candle..."

Father Kripke's eyes twitched. While Jared tried once more to light the candle, the doorbell rang. "It's a Lord Jensen Ackles, sir." The butler announced, coming in with a card.

Lord McCoy stared at the name, confused. "I haven't a head for dates: I think I'm early for the ceremony," a voice stated, apologetically, while the young man from the market approached the people seated in the rehearsal room.

Sandy looked at him curiously.

He was tall (even if not as tall as _Jared_ ) and built (even if not as built as _Jared_ ). He had short, honey-coloured hair and a sprinkle of freckles on his nose. His eyes were a deep green, quite enticing, but so cold that Sandy felt a shiver run down her spine. All in all the guy was quite handsome, even though something was off about him. Apart from the fact that he wasn't as handsome as _Jared_ , that is.

"Is he from your side of the family?" Lord McCoy whispered.

"I can't recall." His wife answered, but then shrugged. A Lord is a Lord, period. "A chair for Lord Ackles, now!" She ordered.

As soon as Lord Ackles was seated, he waved a hand dismissively. "Do carry on," he said.

Sandy blinked.

"Shall we try it _again_ , Padalecki?" Father Kripke asked, frustration plain in his voice.

Jared adjusted his tie. "Yes, sir. Father. Sir. Certainly." He cleared his throat again, moving the candle from his right to his left hand. "With this...this..."

" _Hand_ " Father Kripke supplied.

"Right. With this hand" he took Sandy's hand and stepped towards the table acting as the altar "...I will-" he stopped abruptly when he collided with the table, sending both the glass with the wine and the decanter tumbling on the white cloth.

"Three steps, _three_! Can you not _count_?! Do you _not_ wish to be married, Padalecki?!" Father Kripke was livid.

Jared lifted both his hands. "No! No, I-"

Sandy paled. "You do _not_?"

Jared grabbed her arm. "No! What I meant was no, I do not _not_ wish to be m-m-married. That is-"

The pastoral of Father Kripke fell on Jared's head and he whimpered in pain. "Pay _attention_!!" The priest shrieked. "Did you at least remember to bring the ring?"

"Of course I did!" Jared smiled at Sandy, while he took it out of his pocket, but his fingers were sweaty due to the increasing tension and the ring slipped away.

"He even dropped the ring! This boy doesn't want to be married and that's _it,_ " Father Kripke says, shutting his bible.

"How disgraceful" Lady McCoy muttered.

Jared crawled on the floor and retrieved the golden band, but the priest glared at him. "This marriage cannot take place until he is properly _prepared._ " He growled. Then he turned towards Jared. "Learn. Your. Vows." He articulated slowly, then pointed towards the door.

Jared nodded repeatedly, then his gaze shifted on his parents and the McCoys, all staring expectantly at him, and then at Sandy, who looked so small and lost in that immense mansion. "Yes sir," he stuttered, before leaving.

"My, he's quite the _catch_ , isn't he?" Lord Ackles asked, ironically.

Sandy ignored him, and walked up to Father Kripke, whose expression wasn't mad anymore but laced with concern. "My darling, are you sure this is the right thing to do?" He asked, taking Sandy's hand in his.  
"I mean, look at him! He's distracted, clumsy, naïve..."

Sandy reciprocated the grip. "He's also sweet, and caring. He'll be a good husband, I know he will." She smiled at the priest who she had come to consider a surrogate father. "He's a good man, and will take care of me."

The priest shook his head, but smiled back. "You really want to leave this badly? This is security, not love."

"I don't know if I'm meant to find love, Father, but I know that I'm going to die if I stay."

Father Kripke wanted nothing more than to hug the kid but he knew better. Appearances were everything in the McCoy household and he was conscious that, if her aunt and uncle knew about the bond between them they would have found a way to take that away from Sandy as well. It was as though since they were miserable, she had to be too. He sighed. Maybe Sandy was right and Jared Padalecki was her ticket towards a better, happier life.

That's all he wanted for Sandy.

As he excused himself, he noticed that the mysterious Lord was staring at Sandy, a disturbing leer on his face. He didn't like the man, not one bit. Besides, there was something familiar about him, even though he couldn't put his finger on it.

 _Where have I see him?_ He wondered.

"Watch Lord Ackles," he whispered in Sandy's ear, "he's not here by chance."

Sandy nodded and watched as he left to go back to his church.

The sun was setting.

It was going to be quite a _long_ night.

 

 

Jared sighed as he looked at the water under the bridge that connected his hometown with the forest. He took the jasmine out of his pocket and smelled it. "Sandy must think I'm a fool," he murmured to himself.

He meant what he said: he wanted to marry her, to take her away from a life she didn't want and was making her unhappy. He wanted someone to care about, someone to share his life with and maybe someday the respect and the affection could turn into love.

It's not like he could choose to do anything else, after all.

Just like Sandy, his life had been planned and there was no escaping it.  
He pushed his hands deep into his pockets and started walking towards the forest.

"It really shouldn't be that difficult," he mumbled, "it's just a few simple vows! The hand, the wine, the candle, the ring."

After he tried to repeat them, multiple times and finding out he simply _couldn't_ , he sat on a root standing in the center of a clearing.

"There's no use," he said, looking at the ring, which was twinkling in the moonlight.

He narrowed his eyes.

"Hell, no! I can and will do this!" He exclaimed, standing up. "With this hand I will lift your sorrows, Your cup will never empty, for I will be your wine."

He walked up to a dead-looking tree and snapped a little sprig off of it.  
"With this candle, I will light your way in darkness. With this ring..." He picked it up and knelt to the ground, "I ask you to be mine."

When even the last of his vows were done, he slipped the ring on a branch coming out of the grass.

"I did it," he thought, beaming; then suddenly the ground started trembling under his feet and he grabbed the branch he put the ring on for leverage.

His eyes widened up when the branch _grabbed him back_ , then the earth opened and a cloud of blue mist came out, while the branch dragged him down.

Jared saw a shadow looming over him and then he fainted. 

  

 

_TBC..._


	2. Chapter Two

 

_DOWNSTAIRS_

"A new arrival?"

"He must have fainted."

Jared blinked a couple of times. His head hurt and he didn't understand where he was at first.

On his left there was a-a _skeleton_?! He was wearing a baseball cap on which golden, sparkling letters said _I'M THE MAN_ , and a pair of gym shorts, fucsia with golden dots.

On his right there was a guy. Well, not exactly a guy, per se. His skin was a faint tone of blue and his hair was so blonde it was almost white. He had really big eyes, blue too, framed by long eyelashes and his eyebrows were furrowed in concern. "Are you alright?"

There was no nose in the center of his face but he had very plump lips, although on the purple side. He was wearing a white tuxedo, torn in multiple places and a long white glove went from his right hand up to his elbow, while his left arm was almost all bone.

Even without the nose, the features of the guy were soft and pleasant.  
Not like Jared would have noticed anyway, since he was currently freaking out: he was not sure if he was dreaming, or had simply gone mad.  
"What-what happened?" He asked, his voice uncertain and his breath coming out in short gasps.

The skeleton got suddenly close and grabbed Jared's chin with his bony hand. "Hey, looks like we've got ourselves a _breather_!" He exclaimed, excited.

The blue guy didn't look pleased when all the people came around Jared and started to poke him and ask him questions. Jared didn't even hear them properly, his brain was fuzzy and confused.

"Let's toast!" Said a smaller skeleton in a sea captain's jacket and hat, who was standing on a bar stool and had a sword piercing him from side to side, "to the newlyweds!"

Jared scrambled up. "Newlyweds?" He asked, looking quizzically at the only person who didn't seem completely out of his mind.

The blue guy blushed a little. "In the woods," he explained, "you said your vows so perfectly..."

Then he lifted his left hand and wiggled his bony fingers: Jared's ring was adorning his third one. Jared thought he was going to be sick: instead he dropped his head on the counter and started hitting it repeatedly. "Wake up, wake up, wake _up,_ " he hissed.

Something fell on the counter next to him and Jared jumped back suffocating a scream: it was a green worm, with a thick mane of hair styled into a mullet, two long teeth on the front of his face and purple eyeshadow. "If you want to kill yourself, there are less painful ways to do it," he said, conversationally, before the blue guy grabbed him and pocketed him.

"Sorry about that," he said chuckling, "maggots."

Jared tumbled towards the back of the room, until he was standing with his back against the wall. He had never been so terrified, but he had to do something.

If it was not a dream then-

"I want some answers. _Now_! What's going on here? Where am I?!" He shouted. "Who are you?!"

"Poor guy, he's gone hysterical" The worm stated, snickering.

The blue guy glared at him and poked him on the back of his little head.  
"That's kind of a long story," he answered then, his big eyes clouding up a little.

"And what a story it is!" The skeleton exclaimed, appearing on a small stage that was in the center of the room. He doesn't have the dotted pants anymore but a pair of black leggings instead. Jared blinked and the skeleton shrugged. "What do you expect? I was in bed when you arrived here, they was my pyjamas!"

Then he cleared his throat and got closer to the mic. "What you're about to hear is a tragic tale of romance, passion and murder most-"

"Cut the crap, Chad!" The captain shouted.

Chad whimpered. "Oh, come on, guys, for once can't I tell the whole thing?" He whined.

"Fine," the captain conceded, rolling his eyes.

Chad repaid him with a beaming smile that showed all of his teeth and started again.

 _"The guy was a beauty known for miles around,_  
When a mysterious stranger came into town:  
He was plenty good-looking but down on his cash,  
And our poor little fella he fell hard and fast.  
When his parents said no, he just couldn't cope:  
So our lovers came up with a plan to elope.  
His dad's old tuxedo fit like a glove:  
You don't need much when you're really in love.  
Then next to the graveyard by the old oak tree,  
On a dark foggy night, at a quarter to 3:  
Groom was ready to go, but where was he?  
In the shadows he waited, standing there tall and proud,  
Then everything went black, his heart beating loud,  
When he opened his eyes he was dead as dust:  
His lover had left him and his heart was bust.  
So he made a vow lying under that tree  
That he'd wait for his true love to come set him free:  
Always waiting for someone to ask for his hand,  
Then out of the blue comes this groovy young man  
Who vows forever to keep our boy near,  
and that's the story of how you came here."

The room exploded into cheers and applauds, then Chad started break dancing while singing _I'm the man_ , and Jared took the chance to sneak out.

He needed some fresh air.

 

 

"Jared! Jared, where are you?" The groom wandered around, looking for Jared after he had disappeared from the bar.

"If you ask me, I think your boyfriend is kind of jumpy."

"He's not my boyfriend, he's my _husband_ , Chris. And no, no one asked you what you think."

Since he didn't seem to be able to find Jared, he surrendered and climbed to the top of the hill from where the whole town could be seen, his favourite place to think.

Of course, there he was.

"Jared?" He called out doubtfully.

Jared lifted his head and for a moment there was fear in his eyes, but it faded quickly.

He stilled anyway. "I'm sorry, I didn't want to bother you. I understand if you want to be alone. I just-"

Jared shook his head. "Nah, it's ok. I don't mind. Besides, I still have a few questions to ask."

The groom sat next to him on the bench, and they stared at the landscape quietly for a while.

"It's beautiful," Jared said, eventually.

"Oh, yeah," the groom agreed, "the view takes your breath away. Well, it does if you have any air in your lungs," he added, snickering.

Jared's lips twitched.

"Was that a smile?" The groom asked, happy to see Jared unwinding a bit.

"Listen, uh, I'm terribly sorry about what's happen to you-and I want to help you, but I need to get home."

The groom could see it on Jared's face: even though everything was insanely absurd around there, for him, Jared was still thinking about how he was feeling. His dead chest was filled with affection for this stranger who was able to care. "This is your home now, Jared," he murmured.

Jared opened and closed his mouth a couple of times, then let out a disbelieving chuckle. "I don't even know your name," he pointed out, "even though you know mine."

The groom looked down, shifting on the bench. "Actually, I don't know my name. I-I can't remember. I'm not even sure about what happened to me that night." He sighed. "Maybe I was eaten by a wild animal, or maybe I just froze to death. It would make sense, since I'm _blue_ and all.  
Only thing I know for sure? Is that he never came to get me. He was probably after my family's money and once he knew my parents wouldn't agree to the wedding he must have realized that he would have got stuck with me and nothing else. Didn't sound too good, probably, uh?"

"Don't sell yourself short, dammit!" the little worm snuck out in between the groom's hair. "Great way to start a marriage, sasquatch. Make him feel inferior and not good enough."

If Jared hadn't known better, he would have thought that the worm was _glaring_ at him.

"Chris, shut up! It's not his fault. None of this is."

Jared was looking a little shaken up, so the groom decided to distract him. "I almost forgot! I have something for you." He took a big box from under the bench and left it fall on Jared's lap. Jared shook it and then opened it carefully.

It was full of bones.

"Er...thank you, I guess-" He started to say, but then the box started to tremble and basically _jumped_ off of Jared's knees.

As soon as it hit the floor, the bones fell out, regrouping in a moment: it was the skeleton of a dog.

The dog yapped, then took something in its teeth and brought it to Jared.  
Jared grabbed it and then looked at it: it was a red collar with a golden plate.

" _Harley,_ " he read.

Realization downed.

"My dog Harley?!" he exclaimed, while the dog started wagging its tail and yapping. Jared opened his arms and the dog launched at him, nuzzling his face since it didn't have a tongue to lick him anymore, while he laughed and petted its skull.

The groom stared at them with a contented smile on his face. "I thought you'd be happy to see him," he said.

Jared turned towards him, his eyes shiny, and for the first time he realized how stunningly beautiful the groom must had been when he was alive.

Harley turned its attention towards him and the groom petted him too.  
"My mother never approved of him jumping on the couch like this," Jared said, "but then again, she never approved of anything."

The groom's smile vanished.

"I guess I don't even have to ask if you think she would have approved of me, then?" He spat out, sarcastically.

"You're lucky you'll never have to meet her," Jared answered.

The groom was hurting, and Jared _desperately_ wanted to make it better. He _needed_ Jared. Probably more than Sandy ever would.  
And since no one ever asked Jared what he needed, he had grown unable to think for himself. He suddenly stepped back and said that no, maybe the groom _did_ have to meet his mother, after all. "Since we're married, I think you should definitely meet her. And my father, too."

"Where are they buried?" The groom asked.

Jared blinked. "No, they-they're still alive."

The groom pondered for a moment. "Maybe we could-no, it would be too-I know!" He stood up from the bench and grabbed Jared's wrist. "Come with me, there's someone who could help us," he said, pulling Jared along.

"Who?"

"Elder Manners."

As they walked quickly towards the old house, Jared found himself smiling. The dead groom was livelier than anyone he had ever met. His bony fingers were surprisingly warm and smooth against Jared's skin and that caught him by surprise, which is why he didn't realize that he had finally said the word _married_ without stuttering.

 

 

The little old skeleton with the cracked skull looked at them from behind his half-moon glasses. "Hello, Elder Manners, I've brought my husband, Jared," the groom said.

Manners stared at Jared for a few seconds. "I see," was his only comment.

"Listen, we need to go upstairs. To visit the land of the living."

The skeleton scratched at his skull. "Why go up there, when people are _dying_ to get down here?" He objected, and Jared couldn't hide a snort.

Manners smiled. "I like this guy," he stated.

"In this case, sir, I beg you to help," Jared said. "It means so much to me- _us_."

"I don't know, it's just not... _natural_."

"Elder Manners," the groom pleaded, grabbing the old skeleton's hand. "There must be something you can do."

His eyes were filled with anguish, he wanted to do this for the man who gave him a new meaning, it was probably the only way he was going to be able to repay Jared's kindness, at least a little.  
This was the first thing he had asked for himself.

Manners looked at the groom, then at their joined hands and finally at the groom's fingers still wrapped around Jared's wrist.

Jared didn't even notice, and when he followed the gaze of the old skeleton he blushed furiously and freed his arm immediately.

"Let me see," Manners started, mumbling spells and opening old, dusty books. Finally, he had in front of him a cup filled with a strange brewing liquid, from which a weird burgundy mist was rising up.

"Here we have it! Remember: when you want to come back, you say..." he rubbed his chin, then he looked at Jared. "You say _sasquatch_."

"Have you been talking with worms, lately?" Jared asked, but before the old skeleton could answer a beam of light engulfed them and they both disappeared.

Elder Manners stared at the empty room, then he took a smaller book from under his table and started browsing through it, until he came to a stop and sighed again.

"This is getting complicated," he muttered, "maybe I can't handle on my own." 

 

 

_TBC..._


	3. Chapter Three

 

 

_UPSTAIRS_  
  
  
They appeared in the forest, where everything was bathed in an unreal nacre light.  
  
The groom looked up, and his jaw clenched. "I've spent so long in the darkness...I'd almost forgotten how beautiful the moon is."  
  
He stared at it transfixed and maybe it was the light, maybe it was the moment, but when he twirled on himself, happy and carefree, Jared forgot for a moment that the groom was a corpse and not a real person.  
  
He wanted to hear him laugh again, he wanted to see him like this again.  
The groom hadn't been much older than Jared when he died and it wasn't fair, because there were so many things he probably never had the chance to do.  
  
Jared smiled at him and when the groom smiled back, the skin around his eyes wrinkling as he did so, Jared realized then that he couldn't go through with the marriage.  
  
Sure Sandy was nice and he couldn't help feeling responsible for her, but meeting the groom had made it clear that life was too short and it could be snatched away from under his feet at any time.  
  
_Who do you want yourself to be, Jared Padalecki?_ He wondered.  
  
_How do you want to be remembered?_  
  
As if he felt Jared's discomfort, the groom stepped back beside him.  
"Is everything alright?" He asked, cupping Jared's cheek with his still meaty hand, his big clear eyes looking enormous under the moonlight.  
  
Jared nodded, then he grabbed the groom's wrist.  
  
It was the first time he had willingly initiated contact and it sent a strange sensation straight to his guts.  
  
"Listen, I-I think I should prepare my parents for the big news" he said, ignoring it for the moment. "I'll go ahead and you-you can wait here?"  
  
The groom chuckled. "It's not like I can go anywhere else, now, can I?"  
  
Jared blinked. "Oh, right, Chad forgot to tell you that part. See, when I made my vow I probably put a little too much emphasis on the _under the tree_ part." He smiled sadly.  
  
"I can't move from here when I'm in the upstairs world."  
  
Jared didn't want to be relieved, but he was. "Oh. Ok, then. I won't be long, anyway."  
  
The groom nodded.  
  
Jared spared him a last glance: while seated there, in the middle of the forest, his white tuxedo was unnaturally opalescent, giving to its whole figure a dreamy-like appearance.  
Jared swallowed and stepped away quickly, afraid that if he hadn't done so some kind of spell would have chained him to the groom forever.  
  
He wasn't ready to admit that it had already happened.

 

 

 

"This is the voice of your conscience. Listen to what I have to say."  
  
The groom snorted. "Yeah, my conscience alright," he retorted, and shook his hair.  
  
The little worm fell down. "Ouch! That was mean." He whined.  
  
"What are you doing here, Chris? Didn't I expressly ask you _not_ to come?"  
  
The worm fidgeted, sheepishly. "You-you did, but listen! I have a bad feeling about that boy. He is not-"  
  
"Enough!" The groom exclaimed, standing up, "go chew someone else's ear for a while. I'm tired of hearing you babbling."  
  
The worm crawled back to the groom and looked at him with pleading eyes.  
"It's not babbling! I just care about you, alright? I don't want to see you get hurt!"  
  
The groom sighed. "I know, Chris, I know. But there's nothing to worry about: Jared has gone to see his parents, just like he said."  
  
Chris narrowed his eyes. "If I didn't know you as well as I do, inside and outside, I'd think that you had lost your mind!"  
  
"I'm a corpse, Chris, I think my mind has gone rotten a long time ago," the groom retaliated, and the worm huffed.  
  
"You know what I mean."  
  
"Yeah, I do. And I'm sure he has a perfectly good reason for taking so long."  
  
Chris snorted. "Sure he does. Why don't you go ask him?"  
  
The groom glared at him. "Uh. Can't?"  
  
"You know that it's not true. You could move from here, if you had been freed by someone who loves you."  
  
The worm stared at the groom, defiantly. "If Jared loves you as you think, you should be able to go to him."  
  
The groom looked at his feet, shifting nervously.  
  
He obviously had known about it, but still. He was afraid.  
  
Afraid that he'd try and couldn't move.  
  
Afraid that Jared really left him.  
  
Chris was bouncing on the ground, expectantly: the groom took a deep breath, even though he didn't need it, and stepped forward, closing his eyes tightly.  
  
Nothing happened, so he kept moving.  
  
When he opened them again, he was out of the clearing.  
  
He felt unknown warmth pass through him, and started to run towards the town.

 

  
  
When Sandy heard the thumping at her window, she thought it was some kind of a bird asking for shelter, but when she turned towards her balcony her eyes widened with surprise: it was Jared the one who was trying to get her attention.  
  
"Jared!" She exclaimed, opening the window and letting him in. "I'm so happy to see you." She guided him to the couch. "Where have you been? Are you alright? What's happened to you?" She started asking, stopping abruptly when she saw the anguished expression on Jared's face. "Jared?" She pleaded, "tell me. What's wrong?"  
  
Jared sighed. "Sandy, I confess. This morning I was terrified of marriage: then I met you and I thought-" he stared at his clenched hands.  
"I thought that maybe we could have a shot. That I should have been with you always to protect you, make you happy, because God knows you haven't been, and you deserve it."  
  
He looked back at her, as her eyes were filling up with tears.  
  
Sandy had been wanting to tell him the same.  
  
"I thought that our wedding could not come soon enough," she confessed, "I couldn't wait to be out of here. But Jared, that's not right. A good friend of mine told me: this is security, not love. And as I want love for me, so I want love for you." She took his hand in hers. "Mine is not the hand you're suppose to hold."  
  
Jared shook his head. "I'm so sorry, Sandy. I failed you, just as I always failed my parents."  
  
Sandy narrowed her eyes. "Hey, wait a minute. What are you talking about?"  
  
Jared shrugged. "As much as I try to please everybody, even if I do my best, it never seems to work out the way they wanted it to."  
  
Sandy blinked. "Now let me ask you something, Jared. What would please _you_? What is it that _you_ want, huh?"  
  
Jared stared back at her, stunned.  
  
No one had ever asked him that, not even himself, before that night.  
His thoughts rushed back to the groom, sitting in the forest, waiting for him to go back, and his chest clenched.  
  
"I-" he stuttered, "I-" Jared dropped his hands. "Something has happened to me. And you should know it was unexpected and unplanned," he added rushed, "and honestly? I don't even know how the hell it's supposed to work." Then he stopped while a soft smile appeared on his face. "But still, I think it's the best thing that ever happened to me."  
  
Sandy looked confused. "I don't understand, what-" She could never finish the sentence, because the window abruptly opened and suddenly there was a man dressed in white standing outside.

 

  
  
"Jared, I just wanted to meet-" The words died in the groom's throat as he saw Jared holding hands with a woman.  
  
A _living_ one, as cute as a button.  
  
"Who's this?" He asked, grabbing Jared's arm.  
  
"Who are _you?_ " Sandy retaliated, blinking rapidly. Was the guy's skin _blue_? And where those _bones_?!  
  
"I am his _husband,_ " the groom stated, proudly, wriggling his bony fingers in front of Sandy's face to show her the ring.  
  
"But-but" Sandy was shocked, unable to talk, while tons of questions piled up in her mind. _How did it happen? When? Is it even **possible**? What about me?_  
  
Jared grimaced and extended an arm towards her. "Sandy, look, let me explain! He's _dead_ , you see, and-"  
  
The groom suddenly pulled at him, narrowing his eyes, and said " _SASQUATCH_."  
  
In the blink of an eye, they were gone.  
  
Sandy tried to make sense of what she had just seen, then she did what girls of her day and age did best.  
  
She started to scream.

 

 

_TBC..._

 


	4. Chapter Four

 

 

_DOWNSTAIRS_

 

"You _lied_ to me!" The groom shouted at Jared, shoving him hard.  
"Just to get back to your other woman!"

Jared blinked, then started to get mad. He had just broken Sandy's heart, and this was how the groom repaid him?

"Well, if you think about, _you_ are the _other woman,_ " he retaliated.

The groom looked deeply offended. "Ok, first of all: I'm _not_ a woman!"

"Could have fooled me," Jared mumbled, and the groom glared at him.

"Besides, you are married to _me_ , which automatically makes _her_ the other woman."

"He has got a point," Elder Manners said.

The groom turned his back to Jared and sobbed quietly. "And here I was, thinking that this was all going so well..."

"Look, I'm sorry, but-" Jared grabbed his shoulder and forced the groom to turn.

Real tears were running down his cheeks, and Jared stared at him, surprised to see once more how _human_ the groom could be. Then he violently shook his head. "This just _can't_ work." _Under different circumstances, maybe?_ A little voice in his head supplied.  
"No!" He exclaimed, angry at himself for even _considering_ it, and the groom jumped. "We're too different! You're _dead_!"

The groom clenched his jaw, hurt flickering in his eyes. "You should have thought about that _before_ you asked me to marry you."

Jared waved his hands in the air. "Why can't you understand?! It was a mistake! A stupid one! I would never marry _you_ -" he spat, terrified by the different path his mind and heart were taking and he didn't even realized what he had said until he heard the gasp coming from the groom. Before he could apologize or explain, the groom ran away, hiding his face in his hands.

Elder Manners cleared his throat and Jared slowly turned towards him.  
"Who are you trying to convince, son? Him or yourself?" The old skeleton asked, arching an eyebrow.

Jared tried to find an answer, but came up empty handed.

 

 

The groom ran aimlessly around town, until he knew his lungs would probably burn if he still had them.

He found himself in a dark alley, so he stopped and sat on a overturned box, after he had hastily taken off his jacket and threw away his hat, that he always carried around but never actually wore, remaining with only his grey shirt on, which was in a slightly better condition than the jacket.

On the floor, next to his feet, there was the small poesy which was pinned on the lapel of his jacket. He grabbed it, and started to take out flowers from it, while more tears piled up in the corners of his eyes.

"Roses for eternal love," he muttered, "lilies for sweetness..." He sighed, and threw the bouquet away.

"Hey, darling, you dropped something," said a young woman with long red hair, sitting down next to him. "Why so blue?"

The groom clutched his hands together tightly in his lap. "Maybe he's right, Danneel," he admitted, "maybe we _are_ too different."

"Or maybe he should have his head examined!" Came the angry retort, and Chris appeared from the heap of clothes on the floor. "I told you he was an idiot!"

The groom took the worm in his palm. "Or perhaps he does belong with that-Little Miss Living, with her rosy cheeks and beating heart." His eyes grew sad.

Those were not the only things he most definitely couldn't provide. His body was not as- _responsive_ as a living one.

"Girls are all the same, honey." Danneel said, squeezing his shoulder in comfort. "You are different, and that would scare anyone." She grabbed the groom's hands in hers. "You are a great guy, and your smile is so beautiful! Sometimes I think we'd still use candles to light this place if you hadn't come along."

The groom shrugged. "But I don't have a pulse."

"Who cares!" Chris exclaimed, crawling on the intertwined hands, "I just wish he could see the you that we know."

"Besides," Danneel pointed out, "the _Little Miss Living_ isn't wearing his ring. You are. She probably can't play the piano, or dance, or _sing_ as you do either."

"Maybe. But she _breathes_. That matters to him more than dancing and singing," the groom answered. He stood up. "Thank you for trying, guys, but let's face it. I'm not a complete person.I can't feel pain-or pleasure, for all that matters. I'm never hot or cold, and I don't have a beating heart in my chest, but still-it's _breaking_ , somehow." The words got stuck in his throat. "Even if I'm dead, I-it aches. It hurts so much that I'm unable to believe it's not _real_ , and-" he passed a hand over his face and then showed it to his friends. "Look! These are _tears_! How can I shed tears if I don't have water in my body?! I don't understand," he concluded, sitting on the floor and hiding his face in his knees gathered against his chest.

Danneel kneeled next to him. "Come on, baby, don't be like that! Remember: life is just a temporary state, sooner or later we all meet here, and when that happens there will be absolutely nothing she'll have that you don't!"

The groom gave them a weak smile. "I know that. Still, he chose her, and there's absolutely _nothing_ I or you can do about it." He slowly walked away, his head hanging low.

Danneel sighed. "Seems like we couldn't manage to say anything to make him feel better."

"Maybe not." Chris said, "but I know who can." He exchanged a resolute glance with Danneel and then quickly crawled back towards Elder Manners' house.

 

 

"You motherfucker son of a bitch!"

Jared snorted. "Chris, not now, ok?" He mumbled, sitting against the wall of Elder Manners' house in the exact same position the groom was.

"I don't feel sorry for you, not even a little bit, you selfish bastard."

Jared lifted his head, his eyes throwing daggers at the little worm. "Listen, you maggot, do you think this is _easy_ for me?! Do you think I _wanted_ any of this?! It _isn't_ and I _didn't_ , so leave me the fuck alone."

Chris narrowed his eyes. "Oh, poor Jared. He has been tricked into marrying a corpse, who's nothing if _the most beautiful creature_ in this world or any other! How _awful_ must it be!" He exclaimed ironically.

"Maybe he is, but he's _dead_ , damnit. And I'm not."

"I can fix it" Chris growled.

"Oh, really?! I would like to see you try, you useless caterpillar!"

The two glared at each other for a few seconds, then Jared sighed and averted his gaze. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to say what I said to him. It's just-everything's confused, and he is so-I mean-therefore-you get what I mean, don't you?"

Chris rolled his eyes. "Yeah, sure, crystal clear. Listen, lover boy, this is how things are: you broke the spell. Twice. You can lie to yourself, but believe me, you can't lie to a spell."

Jared arched an eyebrow. "What do you mean by that?" He inquired.

"Just that he didn't tell you everything. Didn't you wonder how could he get to your house if he told you he couldn't move from that spot?"

Jared blinked.

Now that Chris mentioned it...  
"It's because he was not going to be able to move until someone fell in love with him and freed him from his vows," Chris revealed, and Jared's blood froze.

That-that would mean-

"I'm screwed." He stuttered, tearing at his hair, "I-I'm so screwed. It can't be! I- _I_ can't be!"

"If you want to keep pretending things are different, be my guest." Chris concluded, crawling away, "just stop hurting my best friend while you do."

Jared's arms fell limp on his sides, despair running through his veins, while he tried to wrap his head around the stunning revelation. He couldn't possibly-or maybe he could.

_What now?!_

A friendly yap brought him back to the present: Harley was in front of him, waggling his bony tail, and he was carrying something in his jaws.

It was the groom's lapel bouquet.

"You know where he is?" Jared asked, and Harley yapped again, a little louder.

He stood up. "Let's go, then."

He didn't notice Elder Manners watching them from his window as they left, and he didn't see him shaking his head and sighing deeply.

 

 

_TBC..._


	5. Chapter Five

 

  


_UPSTAIRS_  
  
  
"Aunt, listen to me! It's true! Jared is married to a dead man. I saw him! A _corpse_! He was standing right here, together with Jared, and-"  
  
Lady McCoy took a step back, horrified. "Jared was _in your room_?! The _scandal_!" She shrieked.  
  
Sandy ignored her and kept pacing up and down, mumbling to herself.  
  
"Will the mortification never cease? It will be _years_ before we can show ourselves in public again! What shall we do?!" Lady McCoy whined, leaving Sandy and reuniting with her husband in the living room.  
  
Lord McCoy huffed. "Easy: we shall continue as planned, with or without Jason."  
  
"...Jared."  
  
"Whatever."  
  
Lord Ackles, who had been hiding in the shadows, listening to every single word spoken until then, esteemed this as the right moment to execute his plan.  
  
He cleared his throat, and when the McCoys looked up he put on an anguished face. "For that stupid boy to toss aside a young woman like Sandra it's positively _criminal_." He shook his head in disbelief.  
"If I had a woman like your niece on my arm, I would _lavish_ her with riches befitting royalty." His eyes sparkled.  
  
Lady McCoy blinked. "Your lady wife is a most fortunate woman," she stated through clenched teeth.  
  
_Bingo!_ Lord Ackles exulted internally, then sighed. "Alas, I'm not married. I was betrothed some years ago, but tragedy snatched my young bride away."  
  
He could almost see the wheels starting to spin inside the McCoys' little skulls, so he went in for the kill. "When one lives alone, wealth counts for naught."  
  
The aristocrats looked at each other, and Lord Ackles knew he'd won.  
  
As soon as the McCoys had left to talk to Sandy, Lord Ackles stepped into the hallway. He chuckled, while he looked at the hideous portraits on the walls, until he got in front of the smallest one, a simple portrait of Sandy. "Oh, my dear, don't look at me that way," he murmured, caressing the portrait with his fingertips. "You have only to suffer this union until death do us part! And that will come sooner than you think..."

 

 

  
"I have to help him. I'm sure that there's something fishy going on."  
Sandy was standing in front of the window, just where Jared and the corpse had been, looking out at the pouring rain.  
  
Sam walked closer to her and pushed Sandy towards the fireplace. "Come sit in your chair, darling, you're shaking like a leaf. Let me fetch you a blanket-"  
  
"Fetch her a _straightjacket_! She's completely _mad_!" Lady McCoy exclaimed, entering the room followed by her uncle.  
  
"Marvellous news, Sandra, there will be a wedding, after all," he added.  
  
Sandy beamed. "You found him?" She asked.  
  
"Make haste, my dear, our relatives will be here at any minute," her aunt stated, not even acknowledging her question. "We must have you looking presentable for Lord Ackles."  
  
Sandy's smile dropped in an instant. "Lord...Ackles?"  
  
"He will make a fine husband," her uncle said, waving his hand dismissively. "A fortuitous turn of events indeed, a far better prospect this time."  
  
Sandy's eyes filled up with tears. "But-uncle, aunt, I do not love him! You cannot make me do this! Please, _please_ , I beg of you, have mercy! There must be another way!" She pleaded, not caring if she had to give her dignity away in order to avoid the union.  
  
Her uncle glared at her with his cold, icy stare. "Without your marriage to Lord Ackles we shall be forced, penniless, into the street. You have to sacrifice yourself for the well being of the whole family."  
  
Sandy clenched her hands against her chest. "But Jared-"  
  
"Jared Padalecki has gone, child," her aunt concluded. "You shall marry Lord Ackles tomorrow. _According to plan_."  
  
Completely forgetting etiquette and class, Lady McCoy grabbed Sam's arm and pulled her away. Then she took Sandy's room's key out of her pocket and locked her in.  
  
_Blanket_ Sam mouthed before the door was closed.  
  
Sandy looked around the room, trying to find something that could help her escape and ask for help, when her gaze fell on the unfinished quilt she'd been knitting.  
  
Sam's suggestion suddenly made sense.

 

  
  
  
"It's almost dawn! Where could he be?"  
  
Mrs Padalecki wondered out loud, while they crossed the bridge to ride through town once more.  
  
Just as they did, the squealer started ringing his bell.  
  
_Jared Padalecki eloped with a corpse! Heartbroken bride to marry wealthy newcomer!_  
  
Mrs. Padalecki turned towards her husband, looking affronted.  
"The nerve!" She hissed.  
  
"Did he say _corpse_?" Mr. Padalecki asked, a little concerned.  
  
"Oh, don't be _ridiculous_! Why should a _corpse_ marry our J-oh, Steve, cut it out with that blasted coughing!" She shouted at their cabby, whose cough was becoming heavier by the second.  
  
Then suddenly, the air simply didn't get to his lungs and the man fainted, falling down the carriage, which continued going.  
  
"Are you trying to kill us?!"  
  
The shouting voice of his chief's wife was the last sound he heard before his heart stopped.  


 

 

  
  
"What in Heaven's name?" Father Kripke growled, stumbling through the church's nave in his pyjamas. "Who could that be at this hour?"  
  
When he opened the gate, the last thing he'd expected to see was Sandy McCoy wrapped in an unfinished quilt, trembling and soaking wet.  
  
His narrowed expression shifted instantly in a warm, concerned one.  
"What are you doing here?" He asked, helping her inside.  
  
"You should be at home, prostrate with grief," he added, ironically.  
  
"It's not funny, father. I have to ask you something: you are the only one in the village who knows of what awaits beyond the grave."  
  
Father Kripke's eyes widened. "This-this is a grim topic for a bride-to-be," he stuttered, caught by surprise.  
  
Sandy nodded. "What I fear is tightly connected with the wedding, which is why I must know: can the living marry the dead?"  
  
The priest stared at Sandy, stunned into silence. When the girl grabbed his sleeve, he seemed to snap out of it. "What-what on earth are you speaking about?" He asked, fearing the answer.  
  
"It's Jared. He's married to a _corpse_. I don't know how, I don't know why, I just know he _is_. There must be some way to undo what's been done."  
  
Once she was done talking, she anxiously waited for the priest's reaction.  
  
If he had thought she had gone mad, too, she would be lost.  
  
But the man, instead of trying to dissuade her, pointed at a church bench and sat down on the next one.  
  
Sandy followed him and sat as well.  
  
"I believe I know the thing to do," he started, "but before I say anything else, I need to ask you an important question. Think about it carefully before you answer. Do you believe Jared wants _out_ of this marriage?"  
  
She was about to answer that _yeah, of course, which man in his right mind would **willingly** marry a **corpse**?_ , then she remembered Jared's smile as he talked about something unplanned that still made him happy. She remembered how sad he looked when he told her he couldn't marry her. And finally, she remembered how she asked him if he had ever done something he wanted. She sighed. "Unless he's under some kind of will controlling spell no, I think he doesn't." She lowered her eyes. ìI guess I just didn't want to accept the fact that he replaced me and that I really have to marry Lord Ackles tomorrow," she concluded.  
  
Since they were alone, Father Kripke threw any caution out of the window and hugged Sandy tight against his chest. Sandy sobbed quietly for a while, then she sniffled and pushed him back. "Sorry, Father, I didn't mean to spread snot on your pyjamas," she said, chuckling a little.  
  
"Oh, don't worry about it." He answered, smiling at her. "So, Lord Ackles, uh?"  
  
Sandy nodded. "Yeah. I mean, it's kind of weird that he was there a day before the wedding, don't you think? Too much of a coincidence."  
  
The priest scrubbed his chin. "Something's not right about that man: I wonder what it is," he pondered. Besides, he knew he had saw him before, he just couldn't remember where or when. Oh, well. "Come with me, Sandra," he said, standing up and guiding her in a hidden room on the back of the pulpit.  
  
Everything was dusty and old, and the room smelled stale and mouldy.  
Sandy coughed.  
  
"Sorry, I don't come here very often lately," Father Kripke apologized, while he lit a couple of candles. There were a few portraits on the wall: a little girl with pigtails, an old lady with a walker, a kid with ice cream all over his face, and-  
  
"Oh my God" Sandy murmured, pointing at the last one with a trembling  
finger.  
  
"It's _him_! That's the corpse that was with Jared!"  
  
Father Kripke turned towards the wall and his heart missed a beat.  
  
It couldn't be.  
  
"Are you sure about it?" He asked, his voice cracking.  
  
Sandy nodded vigorously. "No doubt about it. He was blue- _ish_ and had no nose, but I'd recognize those eyes and that smile anywhere. Who is he?"  
Father Kripke lowered his head and started telling Sandy the sad story of the only son of a wealthy family, which name he couldn't remember, who lived in the valley for generations.  
  
When he got to the point of the story in which a stranger came into town and charmed his way into the young boy's heart, taking him away, something clicked in his memory and he took the portrait from the wall, turning it.  
  
He stared at the name with eyes open wide, then passed it to Sandy.  
On the back of the portrait, written in a neat handwriting, was the name of the young deceased boy.  
  
_Lord Jensen Ackles_.

 

  
  
  
"Are you sure this is gonna work, Father?" Sandy whispered, while the man pushed her in front of him.  
  
"It has to" He answered. _For the sake of us all._ If it didn't, he was going to lose everything he cared about.  
  
Again.  
  
"Now, remember what we talked about: they don't have to suspect anything, you hear me? So, you keep acting as you did until now."  
  
"Don't worry, Father. I won't let you or Jared down."  
  
The priest caressed Sandy's cheek and then lightly kissed her forehead.  
Then, he took a deep breath and knocked on the door.  
  
"Sandy?! For the love of God, where are your corsets?!" Lady McCoy was livid.  
  
"She's speaking in tongues, of unholy alliances! Her mind has come undone, I fear" Father Kripke said, shaking his head.  
  
"It's not true!" Sandy shouted "Let me go! Let me _go_!" She tried to wriggle free, but to no avail.  
  
"Thank you, Father Kripke." Lady McCoy said, coldly, grabbing Sandy's arm and pulling her in "thank you _very_ much."  
  
Once she had closed the door, she turned towards Sam and the butler. "Take her to her room," she ordered. "Seal the doors, bar the windows: see to it that she doesn't escape again."  
  
"No! I'm telling the truth! Jared needs my help! Sam, you believe me, don't you?" Sandy pleaded with a broken voice."He needs our help! Let me go! Uncle, listen to me!"  
  
_God, please, don't abandon us now. We need you,_ Sandy prayed fervently in the secret of her mind.  
  
The night was almost over, there wasn't much time left: all her hopes resided in Father Kripke and his risky plan.  


 

  
  
  
Father Kripke sat at his desk and stared at the piles of books which were taking up almost all of the room.  
  
There were exorcism books, revelation books and old versions that were still held together by stubbornness alone.  
  
A great deal of them weren't his, he was just... _watching_ them.  
A weak smile appeared on his face. Maybe it hadn't been all for nothing, especially if he had a second chance to set things right. He felt that stranger was bad news, but Jensen was so psyched and he had never seen the kid that happy, so...he missed the signs.  
  
Everyone in town seemed to think Jensen and his lover were living happily together with the money they took from Jensen's family vault, but Father Kripke always knew that wasn't the case. Someone would have to pay for that, he was going to make sure of it. He snorted. That stupid Padalecki boy swept away not only one, but two of his most precious possessions, and still he never asked for anything. If he had to believe what Sandy told him (and he did, wholeheartedly) Jared just tried to make Sandy happy first, then Jensen.  
  
Sandy wasn't sure if he had already realized that Jensen was the only one who could make him happy in return, though; she saw it in his eyes, she said, but maybe Jared was too used not to talk to himself and he could still be in denial.  
  
Hopefully not too much in denial, or the whole plan could be endangered.  
Father Kripke moved away three heavy volumes and finally there it was: the _Ancient Book of Souls_.  
  
He checked the chapter once more, he couldn't make any mistakes at all; as soon as he was sure that he had read it correctly, he wore his dressing gown and opened his cabinet.  
  
It was going to be a long night, but everything had to be perfect.  
Besides, he was not the only one who was making arrangements, after all.  


 

 

_TBC..._


	6. Chapter Six

 

 

 _DOWNSTAIRS_  
  
Harley dropped the bouquet on the stairs leading to the bar he first woke up in.  
  
"It's here?" Jared asked doubtfully, but Harley just yapped and then bounced away.  
  
Jared took a deep breath and entered.  
  
The bar was empty, except for the groom, sitting at an old piano, playing a melancholic melody.  
  
He wasn't wearing his white jacket anymore: now he only had a thin grey shirt, and his dress pants were held in place by elastic suspenders.  
Jared swallowed: under the shirt, the rippling muscles of the groom's torso looked so _real_ he actually swayed under the wave of desire that invested him.  
  
He quickly recovered his control, though, and moved closer.  
  
The groom didn't show he heard him enter, and kept on playing with his eyes closed.  
  
"I-I think you dropped this," Jared said, holding the bouquet out for the groom to take, but he ignored him. Jared sighed and put it on the piano.  
"I'm sorry," he tried again. "I'm sorry I lied to you about wanting to see my parents. I didn't mean to hurt you, I-I simply had some loose ends I had to tie up, that's all."  
  
The groom kept playing, so Jared sat next to him and played a few notes as well, following the melody the groom was playing.  
  
He opened his eyes and looked at Jared, surprise clearly displayed in his clear eyes, as he went on and Jared followed.  
  
The music's tempo increased, and their fingers start moving faster on the keys, until their hands collided and their fingers intertwined.  
  
The groom pulled back immediately. "Pardon my enthusiasm," he said, sheepishly.  
  
Jared though was still not ready for the moment to be broken, so he grabbed the groom's bony fingers and held them on the piano. "I like your enthusiasm," he answered, with a little smile.  
  
His thumb started drawing circles on the groom's bare knuckles, and the air was charged with expectation, when suddenly a bell started ringing.  
  
"New arrival!" They heard screaming, "lights up!"  
  
In a handful of seconds the room was bursting with people, coming to meet the new arrival. The groom smiled apologetically at Jared, who shook his head, but dropped his hand. As soon as the people started to move away, though, Jared completely forgot about the piano, the handholding and maybe even the groom: the new arrival was Steve, head fisherman and cabby of his family.  
  
"Steve?" He exclaimed, jumping up and going towards him.  
  
The man turned to him and smiled. "Hey, Jared! How are you? Fancy seeing you here! When did you die?"  
  
Jared coughed a little. "Er, that's a little complicated, Steve, we'll talk about it later. How is everyone?" He asked, trying to change the topic. "They all must be worried sick."  
  
Steve snorted. "Well, they're still wondering where you slipped off to," Steve answered "and Miss McCoy-"  
  
"How is she?" Jared pressed him, seeing he seemed reluctant to talk.  
  
Steve sighed. "She's getting married this afternoon."  
  
"What?! To who?!" Jared squeaked, surprised.  
  
"Some newcomer, I don't remember the name." Steve said, shrugging, "a Lord, anyway. Very handsome, if you listen to the village gossip."  
  
Jared looked lost. He didn't think Sandy would rebound quite so fast.  
  
"With you gone and all, I just guess they didn't wanna waste the cake!" Steve concluded, punching his shoulder playfully, then his expression grew serious. "Man, it's time to pick up the pieces and move on," he said, before winking at him and going to mingle.  
  
Jared stood there, next to the counter, for awhile. Steve was right, of course: he had to move on, especially since he had been the one to break it off with Sandy. He knew she desperately wanted to leave town and probably a Lord with his land who knows where was a way better match for her than Jared could ever be, but-it didn't sound like her at all.  
  
Jared looked around the room and saw faces without names, bodies without a pulse and hearts that somehow could still beat. His thoughts went back to the groom, and he suddenly realized that now that Sandy had chosen someone else who could make her happy, Jared was _free_.  
  
For the first time in his whole life, he was free to do what he wanted, to choose how he wanted to live and with whom.  
  
And in his mind there was no one he'd rather be with than the groom.  
He turned towards the piano, but he wasn't there anymore. Jared's brow furrowed questioningly, and he set off to look for him, hoping he was not too late and determined to make a choice which would change his life.  
He still didn't know to what extent it would, though.

 

  
  
"Danneel, what am I supposed to do?" The groom was walking around the kitchen, his arms waving in the air. "One moment he says he doesn't want me, the following he plays piano with me and _holds my hand_ , then he walks off without saying a word. I don't understand him."  
  
Danneel giggled. "Well, I'm afraid men aren't usually very bright: I think he's scared, and that's why he keeps getting closer just to run away a minute after. Marriage is a big step, you know, especially for a guy that young and especially considering your- _circumstances_."  
  
The groom nodded. "Of course! I know, and I'm not going to pressure him. We have all eternity to get to know each other. I just want to be sure that-"  
  
Suddenly the kitchen door opened and Elder Manners limped inside, carrying a book with him. On the cover of it, the words _Ancient_ and _Souls_ were readable. "We have to talk, son," he said, putting the book on the table.  
  
"Let _me_ tell him, please!" Chris begged, from where he was curled in the center of the page.  
  
"Tell me what?" the groom asked, arching an eyebrow.  
  
"There is a complication with your marriage," the old skeleton began "the vows are binding only until death do you part."  
  
The groom's jaw clenched. "What are you saying?"  
  
Elder Manners sighed. "Death has already parted you."  
  
The groom gasped and stepped back covering his mouth with a hand.  
  
"There's only one way to fix things," the old skeleton continued, patting the groom's arm, "but it requires the greatest sacrifice."  
  
Chris' smile was disturbingly wide. "We have to _kill_ him."  
  
Elder Manners glared at the little worm. "Not quite," he corrected "Jared must give up his life _willingly_. Forever."  
  
The groom was shaking violently, as the old skeleton explained that they would have had to repeat their vows in the land of the living for it to work, and then Jared would have had to drink from the wine of ages.  
  
"That's poison," the groom whispered, his hand still pressed against his mouth.  
  
"Only once his heart has stopped forever he will be free to give it to you," Elder Manners concluded, closing the book.  
  
Chris looked at the groom expectantly, but he only shook his head.  
"If his heart stopped, he wouldn't be the Jared I'm falling in love with," he murmured, sliding against the wall until he was sitting on the floor. "No way, I won't do this. I could never ask him."  
  
"You don't have to."  
  
All the heads turned abruptly towards the kitchen entrance, where Jared was standing, tall and determined.  
  
"I'll do it."  
  
The groom's eyes filled with tears and gratitude, while Elder Manners moved closer to Jared and squeezed his shoulder.  
"My boy, if you choose this path you may never return to the world above."  
  
Jared nodded. "I understand." He took the groom's hand in his once more, and this time he held on tight as he helped him up. "There's nowhere else I'd rather be," he said. "Besides, I reckon I have a promise to keep," he added in a whisper, caressing the golden band gleaming on the groom's ring finger.  
  
The groom beamed at him and Jared felt butterflies flying in his stomach.

 

  
  
"Gather around! Gather around, everybody!" Jared shouted from the top of a sculpture in the center of the square. "We've decided to do this thing properly," he announced, "so grab what you can and follow us: we're moving this wedding party _upstairs_!"  
  
The people cheered, and the groom didn't have the time to say a word, because Chad and his friends grabbed him and took him away.  
  
Jared started to walk away too, but was stopped by Danneel. "Hold on, lover boy! You can't get married looking like _that_ " she stated, pointing at the condition his suit was in.  
  
Jared blushed, suddenly self conscious.  
  
Danneel winked at him. "No worries, I'll fix you in a moment. Come with me."  
  
"What about the cake?" Jared objected as the redhead pulled him along.  
He knew she was the only cook in town.  
  
"Hey, I don't have employees for nothing! His happiness is more important than anything else, for me."  
  
In her eyes there was a whole story, and Jared knew she would have probably told him all about it if he asked, but he also knew that he had an eternity to spend with these people, and therefore would have had all the time to find out.  
  
There was no need to push it, not tonight.  
  
It was too important.

 

  
  
"Look! There he comes!" Chad elbowed Jared and he looked up.  
  
What he saw literally stole his breath away. The groom was walking down the stairs, slowly. He had his white jacket on again, and it looked like Danneel had worked her magic on him too, because it was perfect. The white hat was placed on his head, and the small bouquet of roses and lilies was pinned back on his lapel. There was an adorable shadow of pink on his usually blue cheeks, and when his eyes focused on Jared they lightened up. That was the moment Jared knew he was done for, whipped to the top and the weird thing was he didn't care.  
Chad cleared his throat nervously and started reading from a crumpled piece of paper.  
  
_Look, look, the Groom is here;_  
He's waited for this day for many a year.  
This day will last forever,  
And all of his friends will work together  
To make it the perfect day he always dreamed:  
With him shall reside our pride and our hopes,  
Here is the Groom, look, look, here he comes.  
  
The people clapped as Chad's voice wavered on the last words, and the groom leaned in and kissed his bony cheek. "Thank you," he said, deeply moved.  
  
Chad waved a hand dismissively. "Sure, sure," he answered gruffly. "Now get out of here."  
  
The parade started to move towards the world above, led by Elder Manners, who was carrying the book and the bottle with the wine: on Chad's head, hidden behinds the brim of the bowler hat he wore for the occasion, was Chris, who was sobbing like a baby. 

 

 

_TBC..._


	7. Chapter Seven

 

 

_UPSTAIRS_  
  
"It's time to go, Sandy," Sam pointed out, arranging the veil properly around her head. "You look so beautiful, darling. Your mom would be _so_ proud," she added, eyes full of affection.  
  
Lady McCoy snorted.  
  
"Yesterday I thought my wedding would be happy." Sandy said, ignoring her aunt, "now I feel like I'm caught in the tide, pulled out to sea."  
Sam hiccupped.  
  
"The sea leads to many places, sweetie," she answered, cupping her cheek "maybe you'll land somewhere better."  
  
"Oh, _please,_ " Lady McCoy huffed, rolling her eyes and leaving the room.  
  
As soon as her steps couldn't be heard anymore, Sandy's passive attitude shifted instantly and she grabbed Sam's arm, pulling her closer. "You're right," she whispered in her ear, "I am. But I need your help."  
  
Sam looked at Sandy, her eyes sparkling. "You can count on me. I'd do anything."  
  
Sandy nodded, grateful. "There's only one thing we need to do," she explained. " _Stall_."

 

  
  
"With this candle, I'll light your way in darkness." Lord Ackles said.  
As he passed the candle in front of Sandy, though, she sneezed and blew it out.  
  
Father Kripke glared at him.  
  
" _Again_."

 

  
  
"With this hand, I'll lift yer sorrows."  
  
"No, no, no. I _will_ lift _your_ sorrows."  
  
Lord McCoy coughed.  
  
"Father, I understand you've been trained to do your best, but-"  
  
"Silence!" The priest growled, "the vows must be pronounced in the right way! Or else they won't be valid! _Do you want your niece to live in sin_?!" He asked, his eyes throwing daggers at the men.  
  
Lord McCoy paled, and shook his head vigorously.  
  
"Very well. However, now we have to start again. I think we disrupted the holy flow due to this _useless interruption._ " He stated, glaring at Lord McCoy some more.  
  
"Please, proceed, Lord Ackles."

 

  
"With this ring-"  
  
Lord Ackles checked his pockets.  
  
The ring was gone.  
  
"Where is the _ring_?!" Father Kripke hissed.  
  
Lord Ackles looked confused. He was sure he has put it in his jacket before leaving the McCoy's household, how could it...  
  
He snapped his fingers. "The maid has it," he said, relieved. "She said something about my jacket needing ironing, so she probably kept it."  
  
Samantha was sitting in the last bench at the back of the church, wailing like a firemen's siren. "My ba-by!" She sobbed.  
  
"Samantha, please, we need the ring" Lady McCoy asked, her eye twitching in irritation.  
  
"But-but-my ba-by!"  
  
A new flow of tears left the maid's eyes, as she grabbed Lord McCoy's lapels and started sniffling against his chest.  
  
Father Kripke rolled his eyes and crossed his arms on his chest, then looked at Sandy, who winked at him while no one paid attention to her.  
  
_Just a little more_ he mouthed, and Sandy nodded curtly.

 

  
"...I ask you to be mine."  
  
Lord McCoy sighed in relief.  
  
It was almost done, now they just needed the priest to say-  
  
"And now I pronounce you-"  
  
The bible fell noisily on the floor.  
  
"Oh, dear. Now I have to look for the chapter all over again."  
  
Lord McCoy stood up. "Father Kripke, that's enough! Everyone knows that you simply have to say _man_ and _wife_ at this point! What do you need the damn book for?!"  
  
Father Kripke arched an eyebrow. "Oh, are you a priest, Lord McCoy?"  
The man looked taken aback.  
  
"Uh, no, but-"  
"No _buts_! Who's the priest here? _I_ am! And if I want to check the ceremonial once more to be sure everything goes _according to plan_ , I will! Or do you want to finish the ceremony by yourself? I warn you that your vow doesn't count for naught, though."  
  
Lord McCoy sat once more, mumbling through clenched teeth, but Father Kripke had run out of options.  
  
He turned the pages as slow as possible, but eventually there it was.  
The priest sighed. "And now," he started, lifting his gaze to Sandy, who's terrified expression was heart wrenching "I pronounce you-"  
  
Lord Ackles' sneer threatened to split his face in two.  
  
"Man and-"  
  
Suddenly a piercing scream came from the back of the room, and Samantha fainted.  
  
Then, a green flame ignited, and all of the guests jumped from their seats and ran for their lives, including the McCoys.  
  
The only ones who stayed were Sandy and Lord Ackles, even though Lord Ackles went into hiding as soon as the danger approached.  
  
Father Kripke smiled, obviously pleased with himself, then he grabbed the bible and snuck out of the church without being noticed.

 

  
  
Elder Manners remained behind, since his old legs didn't let him follow the same pace as everyone else, but he was finally approaching the church's stairs when a hand came out of nowhere, grabbed him and pulled him behind the building.  
  
"What the-" He started protesting, then he saw who the person in front of him was. "Eric?" He asked, needing the other's confirmation.  
  
Father Kripke nodded. "Hi there, Kim."  
  
The two men stared at each other during a split second, before hugging tight. "You're incredibly thin" Father Kripke said, mocking his old friend's skeletal body.  
  
"And this robe is not hiding your cellulite bearings" Elder Manners retaliated.  
  
They laughed and hugged again, before Father Kripke turned serious. "You're here to marry Jared and a corpse groom, aren't you?" He asked.  
  
Elder Manners looked surprised. "How do you know about that?"  
  
The priest shrugged. "God works in mysterious ways. Besides, Jared was betrothed to a child of my parish."  
  
The old skeleton rubbed at his chin. "So, why are you here?"  
  
Father Kripke got closer and whispered a few things in Elder Manners' ear (or well, where there was supposed to be an ear, at least). "But we have a plan," he concluded.  
  
"I see," the old skeleton said, nodding slowly.  
  
"My office is still feasible?"  
  
Father Kripke smiled again. "Of course."

 

  
Jared and the groom entered the church, surrounded by all of their friends, and Jared would have expected anything but Sandy dressed in white standing in front of the altar.  
  
"Jared!" She exclaimed and ran to him, launching herself against his chest.  
  
Jared hugged her. "Hey, Sandy, what are you doing here? Shouldn't you be married already?"  
  
Sandy chuckled. "We stalled it. I was waiting for you to come rescue me." She joked.  
  
Jared's eyes widened, surprised, and as he looked up he saw the groom stepping back, his hands clenching and unclenching nervously and hurt plain on his face. "Sandy, listen, I-"  
  
"How _touching_." Both of them turned towards the voice: it was Lord Ackles, who apparently came out of his hiding place just in time. "Our young lovers together at last," he continued, "surely now they can live happily ever after." He walked up to them. "But you forget that-she's still my _wife_!" He concluded, grabbing Sandy.  
  
Sandy, however, wasn't keen on being manhandled and stomped on his foot breaking free. "I'm not your _anything_! The ceremony is not complete."  
  
Lord Ackles narrowed his eyes. "Listen, you little conniving bitch, I don't care about marrying you. I'm just going to take whatever money I can and get out of here."  
  
Sandy blinked. "Money? What money?"  
  
Lord Ackles glared at her. "Your dowry. It's my _right_!"  
  
Sandy chuckled. "My parents don't have any money, Lord Ackles. It's my marriage to you that will save them from the poorhouse."  
  
Lord Ackles stared at her, then at Jared, and the vein in his neck was so swollen Sandy feared it would explode. Oh, well, it wouldn't have been that big of a tragedy if it had, anyway.  
  
"You're lying!" He shrieked, grabbing Sandy and shaking her repeatedly.  
  
"Did things not go according to your plan, Lord Ackles? Well, perhaps in disappointment we are perfectly matched," she concluded, shoving him back and walking once more next to Jared.  
  
Lord Ackles growled and clenched his fists.  
  
"You can say whatever you want, but I'm not leaving here empty handed!"  
  
" _You_."  
  
Jared turned towards the groom, who was slowly approaching the altar, his eyes fixed on Lord Ackles, his mouth open.  
  
Lord Ackles followed Jared's gaze and froze. "J-Jensen?" He took a step back, shaking his head. "This is not possible! I-I left you! You should have been-"  
  
"Dead?" The groom lifted a bony hand. "I am."  
  
Lord Ackles looked anxiously around then grabbed the sword coming out of the captain's chest and put it against Sandy's neck. "Don't come any closer, you rotten freak, or I'll slice her throat!" He shouted at the groom.  
  
"Take your hands off her!" Jared retorted.  
  
"Do I have to kill you too, as I killed your little boyfriend?" Lord Ackles hissed.  
  
"You-you despicable excuse for a human being," Jared said, "you'll pay for all of this, I swear to God!"  
  
Lord Ackles smirked. "Make me."  
  
Jared was about to pounce on him, but a hand on his arm stopped him.  
It was the Elder. "There's no need to use the violence," he stated.  
"Besides, that's not why we're here. The ceremony must be completed before the sun sets, or it will be too late."  
  
Jared looked at the groom, who was encircling his chest with his arms, trembling. He looked so small and fragile that Jared felt the rage mount inside of him once again. Lord Ackles was still holding the sword, but when he saw Father Kripke approaching he lowered it.  
  
"I believe we have a ceremony to finish," the priest said.  
  
"Finally someone smart," Lord Ackles spat, throwing the sword on the marble floor and pulling Sandy along.  
  
The two old men deposited everything they needed onto the white cloth: the Elder took out the poison bottle, while Father Kripke retrieved the cup with the mass wine he had prepared earlier for the wedding.  
"Dearly beloved and departed, we're gathered here today to join this man and this corpse in marriage," the old skeleton began.  
  
"That's disgusting," Lord Ackles muttered, "you're _sick_."  
  
Jared narrowed his eyes. ìOne more word," he hissed looming on Lord Ackles, "please, say _one more word_."  
  
The man chuckled nervously but kept quiet.  
  
"Your cup will never empty," the groom said, "for I will be your w-wine."  
His hand trembled, as he poured the wine into the golden cup. He was sentencing the man he loved to death and it couldn't be right.  
  
Jared smiled and lifted the cup to his lips, but the groom stopped him.  
  
"I can't."  
  
Jared blinked. "What's wrong?" He asked.  
  
The groom sighed. " _This_ is wrong. I don't even know who I am, I won't take away from you the chance to discover who you can be."  
  
Lord Ackles snorted. "Oh, you're always been such a drama queen," he said. "That's why I wouldnít have been able to tolerate you one more day."  
  
The groom's eyes clouded up.  
  
"You want to know who you are?" Lord Ackles asked. "I'll tell you who you are. Or at least, who you were. Lord Jensen Ackles, only son of Lord Alan Ackles."  
  
Sandy's mouth dropped open.  
  
"But if he is Lord Jensen Ackles, who are you?"  
  
"I'm Barkis Bittern, an ignorant farmboy who had the gift of fairness. It didn't take long to get this cully to fall for me and give me the keys to everything he had. He even thought I loved him!" He snickered. "Then I got his family jewels and vanished; as soon as I got low on cash I thought, _hey, there's a perfectly good Lord title that no one else is going to use anyway_."  
  
The groom had to lean against the altar. The memories came flooding back at him together with all the pain, the betrayal, the broken dreams and hopes... He glared at Barkis. "Get _out,_ " he hissed.  
  
"Oh, don't worry, I'm leaving" the man reassured him "it's not like I wish for your company all that much either, especially now with the rotten meat and all." He turned towards the altar and snatched the mass wine. "Before I go, though, I want to make a toast. To Jensen, always a groomsman, never a groom." While lifting the cup to his lips, he sneered at the groom's crushed expression. "Tell me, my dear, can a heart still break once it's stopped beating?"  
  
All of the groomís friends stood up at once and marched towards the altar.  
  
Chris growled. "Let me at him! Let me at him! I'll gnaw at his intestines and-"  
  
Chad stopped him. "We are amongst the living," he reminded them, "we must abide by their rules."  
  
Barkis grinned. "Well said, bonehead."  
  
And with those words, he gulped the whole cup down, throwing it on the floor immediately after.  
  
Then he threw one more evil smirk at the groom and walked away.  
  
He didn't get far, though: few steps before he reached the door he  
stopped cold. His hands went straight to his neck and he started coughing. His eyes rolled back in his head, his face turned blue and he collapsed on the floor.  
  
As soon as he had stilled, the groom started to glow. "What-" he asked, quite scared, "what's happening?" His whole body felt warm, and it was getting warmer, until a beam of light surrounded him and everyone in the room had to close their eyes.  
  
When they opened them again, the groom was lying on the floor, completely still, exactly like Barkis. Jared shouted and moved towards him, but Father Kripke stopped him.  
  
"Wait," he said "look."  
  
The groom's body flickered, then one single, gleaming butterfly flew away from his chest.  
  
It flapped around Jared's head, caressing his cheek with a wing, before pointing straight at Barkis' dead body. It flew in circles above it, before descending and settled just on the heart.  
  
A split second after, Barkis' body started to glow as well: the light was soft and enticing, this time, and Jared felt compelled to get closer. Father Kripke's hand left his shoulder, and he nodded towards the man on the floor.  
  
Jared walked up to him, kneeling next to the body. He pressed two fingers against Barkis' neck and felt his pulse throbbing weakly: he was still alive. Barkis' eyelids fluttered and then slowly opened, revealing a couple of clear green eyes, which focused on him.  
  
"Jared...?"  
  
Jared was stunned into silence. "Jensen? Is-is it you?"  
  
"Of course," the guy said, then he grimaced trying to sit up.  
  
"I can't move. What happened?" He asked, looking back at Jared, and then his face twisted in a concerned expression.  
  
"Jared, what's wrong? Why are you crying?!"  
  
Jared passed a hand on his cheek and retrieved it wet. "Oh, bugger" Jared mumbled. "Don't worry, it's all ok, now." He lifted his eyes questioningly on Father Kripke and the Elder Manners, who were smugly staring at the scene.  
  
"What did you do?" Chris asked, in awe.  
  
Father Kripke shrugged. "Oh, nothing. We just transferred Jensen's soul into Barkis' body and vice versa."  
  
Chris and Chad looked at each other.  
  
"You know what this means, don't you?" Chris asked.  
  
"Oh yeah." Chad answered.  
  
" _New arrival._ "

 

 

_DOWNSTAIRS_

  
_"So the corpse groom was not a corpse anymore, and Jared loved him forever. Sandy found another lover, not as rich as her family would have wanted, but a great man, who worshipped the ground she walked on. And Father Kripke and the Elder Manners kept in contact, thanks to the frequent trips the happy couple still makes from time to time in order to come see us and share all the news of the upstairs dimension."_  
  
When he has finished the story, the kids are all asleep. Chad smiles at them and then stands up from the chair he has been sitting on, stretching his back until his bones pop back into place.  
  
"Well, goodnight, Danneel," he says and turns to leave, but the girl's voice stops him.  
  
"Hey, you're not doing it tonight?"  
  
"Doing what?"  
  
"Ask me out." She says. "You've been asking me out every Thursday since Jensen went back to the world above."  
  
Chad's smile turns a little sad. "Yeah, well. It's been a long time...I guess I gave up."  
  
"Don't."  
  
He looks at her with wide eyes. "What-"  
  
"Why don't you try asking me again? Maybe this time you'll get a different answer," she suggests, blushing a little.  
  
Chad clears his throat. "Hey, Danneel...would you like to go out with me tonight?"  
  
She grimaces. "Sorry, Chad, I can't. I'm really busy."  
  
Chad lowers his head.  
  
Then suddenly, a finger caresses his cheek.  
  
"But tomorrow I'm free."

 

 

_END_


End file.
